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Bihar Governor Konwar Out; D Y Patil In

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Patna: The strained relationship over the appointments of Vice Chancellors in Bihar universities between Governor Debananda Konwar and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar came to an end on Saturday when the Central government issued the order of swapping the Governors of Bihar and Tripura thus making Dr. Dnyandeo Yashwantrao Patil the new occupant of the Raj Bhawan in Patna.

The change in governorship reportedly came after Kumar recently requested the center to remove Konwar who, he had maintained, repeatedly marginalized the state government on key official decisions.

Patil becomes the fifth Governor of Bihar since the NDA swept into power replacing 15 years of rule of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in 2005.

Konwar took over as the Governor of Bihar on September 26, 2009. Before him, Gopal Krishna Gandhi, R. S. Gawai, and R. L. Bhatia served the state between January 2006 and 2009.

The transfer of Konwar at the behest of Nitish Kumar’s request is being seen as a friendly overture by the Congress that may end up facing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in the next Parliamentary election.

With Nitish Kumar’s known aversion for Narendra Modi because of his role in the Gujarat riots, it is believed the Congress, by keeping Bihar Chief Minister on friendly terms, is hoping to win his support while forming the next government at the center.